Thomas a



(No Model.) T. A. DAVIES.

CENTER FASTENING 'FOR RAILROAD RAILS. Y

No. 330,569. Patnted Nov. 17, 1885.

2 E M WITNESSES J P NINVENTOR dz, 9 M

ATTORNEYS.

NITE STATES THOMAS A. DAVIES,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CENTER FASTENING FOR RAILROAD-RAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 330,569, dated November17, 1885.

Application filed June 11, 1885. Serial No. 168, 423. (NdmodeL) To allwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. DAVIES, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in CenterFastenings for Railroad-Rails, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure l is a plan view of a railroad-rail and a part of the center tie,the fasteningspikes being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a side elevationof the same, parts being broken away.

The object of this invention is to hold railroad-rails from longitudinalmovement, while allowing them to expand and contract freely.

The invention consists in the combination, with the railroad-railshaving recesses in the centers of the edges of their flanges and theties, of the inclined spikes, as will be hereinafter fully described.

A represents a railroad-rail, and B represents its central tie. In theflanges of the rail A, at the centers of their edges, are formedrecesses O to receive the spikes D, that secure the said rail tothesaid'tie. By this construction the center of the rail A will be heldstationary while its ends will be free to move as the said rail expandsand contracts, so that the said rail cannot get out of place and cannotafl'ect the joints of the adjacent rails. The spikes may be driven intothe ties B at right angles with the plane of the rails; but I prefer todrive the spikes with their points inclined toward the direction inwhich the rails tend to creep, so as to more strongly resist the saidtendency and hold the rails securely in place.

When the improvement is applied to a single-track road, the centralspikes upon the 0pposite sides of each rail should be driven with theirpoints inclined in opposite directions, so as to resist the tendency ofthe rails to creep in either direction. This is important in all partsof the track, but is especially important on a steep grade, where thetendency of the rails is to creep down the grade'and open the weakestjoint, so as to leave a gap between the ends of adjacent rails, and thusloosen the said joint and destroy the continuity of the rails.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

The combination, with the railroad-rail A, having recesses G in thecenters of the edges of its'opposite flanges, and the central tie, B, ofthe inclined fastening-spikes D, driven into the ties at oppositeinclinations, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby thecenter of the rail will be held securely in place while the ends will beallowed a free longitudinal movement as the said rail expands andcontracts, and the rail will be held securely against creeping, as setforth.

THOMAS A. DAVIES.

Witnesses:

JAMEs T. GRAHAM, O. SEDGWIOK.

